Block 185 | Austin, TX, USA

INTRODUCTION

Block 185 rises 35 storeys and 181 metres / 594 feet above Downtown Austin, Texas, at 601 W. 2nd Street. Sited between Shoal Creek and Lady Bird Lake, its form comes directly from that setting: the south facade steps back in a series of terraces at every level, the first of their kind in Austin, while the west facade curves away from the creek in a sweeping, sail-like taper that has earned the tower its nickname, “Sail Tower.” Google signed on as anchor tenant before construction was complete, and Block 185 has since become one of Austin’s most recognizable additions to its skyline.

ARCHITECTURE & LIGHTING DESIGN

Block 185’s tapering profile and terraced setbacks give it a distinct silhouette from every direction: a soft curve to the west, a stepped cascade of terraces to the south. The facade combines high-performance glass with custom metal mullions arranged in a tartan-inspired pattern, more pronounced on the tower’s north face and subtly underscored elsewhere, so the building reads differently, but cohesively, depending on where it is viewed from. LEED Platinum certified, the tower also folds its above-grade parking into a future-proof design that can convert to office space as demand grows.

The lighting designer developed a scheme that carries this verticality and movement into the night. Rather than washing the tower in a flat, static glow, the design traces its edges and terraces with light, following the building’s sail-like geometry up through more than twenty floors and gathering into a color-changing accent at the roofline. This created a distinctive character for the building at night, and making it recognisable amongst the growing Austin skyline.

ILLUMINATING THE SAIL

The scope combines nearly 700 STR9^® luminaires, in both Color-Changing and Mono colors, with continuous HIGHLIGHTER^®Series in COVE-OUTDOOR configuration built into the building’s terraces and setbacks, together totalling close to 1,650 linear metres / 5,418 linear feet of luminaire product wrapped around the tower’s sail-like form, floor by floor from the podium to the roof.

GVA’s INFINITY^® technology powers most of that scope. Its 380V DC power distribution lets the STR9® Color-Changing facade circuit, and the HIGHLIGHTER® Series cove runs operate without a power supply inside every luminaire, removing a common point of failure and avoiding facade penetrations across the tower’s 35 storeys. On the east elevation, one HIGHLIGHTER® Series run travels 158.7 metres / 521 feet as a single continuous circuit from a single power supply, the kind of long run INFINITY^® is built to deliver.

At the crown, color-changing STR9^® and FL100™ work together to illuminate the top of the sail. COLOR-AMP^®, available on the STR9^®, allows the RGBW channels to reach full power and brightness potential, and up to 3X brighter at the same power rating.

UNIBODY^™ construction is available on all STR9^® luminaires. Machined from a single block of aluminium and heretically sealed, it provides IP66 protection that keeps the system condensation-free through Central Texas heat, storms, and the tower’s height.

PIONEER OF LIGHTING INNOVATION

Since opening, Block 185 has been recognized among Austin’s most distinctive new towers, with projects gaining recognition including a 2023 AIA Austin Design Award of Merit and a 2023 Award of Excellence from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, alongside LEED Platinum certification for the building itself.

At night, the lighting system GVA helped deliver keeps the tower’s sail-like silhouette legible against the Austin skyline, drawing the eye from Lady Bird Lake and the Second Street District up through the terraces to a glowing crown. For a building whose name and form both trace back to the water and creek around it, the lighting completes the picture, giving Block 185 a presence after dark that matches the one it holds in daylight.

PRODUCTS SPECIFIED

Powered by INFINITY^®

167.4 linear meter / 549 linear ft of STR9^® COLOR CHANGING
259.2 linear meter / 850 linear ft of STR9^® MONO
796.5 linear meter/ 2,613 linear ft of HIGHLIGHTER^® MONO in COVE-OD Configuration
18x INFINITY^® Power Supplies

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